Green-Beckham to sit at OU after NCAA decision

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ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 07: Dorial Green-Beckham #15 of the Missouri Tigers catches a touchdown reception against Ryan Smith #24 of the Auburn Tigers in the second quarter during the SEC Championship Game at Georgia Dome on December 7, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Dorial Green-Beckham will not be allowed to play for Oklahoma this season after the NCAA denied the school’s request for a waiver that would have made the talented receiver eligible to play immediately.

“The University of Oklahoma has learned that the waiver request it entered on behalf of Dorial Green-Beckham has been denied by the NCAA,” the university said in a statement released Friday night. “The University accepts that decision and will continue to provide the appropriate assistance to Dorial, just as it does with other students in helping him grow personally from the many opportunities available to him at OU.”

Green-Beckham transferred to Oklahoma after being dismissed by Missouri in April after several run-ins with the law during his two years at the school.

NCAA rules require players to sit out a season when they transfer from one FBS school to another, but Oklahoma requested a waiver to allow Green-Beckham to play this season on the grounds he was “run-off” the team at Missouri.

Green-Beckham is a former five-star recruit from Springfield, Missouri, who was developing into one of the top receivers in the country last year as a sophomore. He caught 59 passes for 883 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

But his time at Missouri also was filled with off-field troubles.

Green-Beckham was charged in October 2012 with marijuana possession, and later pleaded guilty to trespassing.

He also was arrested along with two other men in January in his hometown of Springfield when police found a pound of marijuana in their car. No criminal charges have been filed in that case against Green-Beckham.

The last incident was an investigation into a suspected burglary, though Green-Beckham was neither arrested nor charged. A woman accused Green-Beckham of forcing his way into her apartment and pushing her down a few stairs.

Oklahoma has been criticized by some for adding the troubled star, but athletic director Joe Castiglione told The Associated Press earlier this month that the school did extensive interviews and research before making the decision.

“Those that knew him on a day-to-day basis spoke highly of him and his character, even acknowledging some of the judgment errors that he might have made,” Castiglione said. “We had to review far beyond the hearsay, far beyond the limited amount of information that might have come out about some of those cases.”

Green-Beckham could have transferred out of FBS and played immediately, but Sooners coaches decided to bring him to Norman and take a shot at getting him eligible.

“In his particular case, we felt he was deserving of the chance, assuming he would accept the conditions of his enrollment and participation as a student athlete here,” Castiglione said. “He’s been embracing them from the day he’s stepped on campus. He’s been very, very appreciative of this opportunity to be a part of the university and wants to make the most out of it and change people’s perceptions of him and do it in a very positive way. He’s committed to making that a reality.”

No. 4 Oklahoma has a loaded team, but one of its few questionable spots is receiver, where the Sooners are short on proven talent. Green-Beckham had made quite an impression while practicing with the team.

“He’s doing good and he’s learning so much,” receivers coach Jay Norvell said last week. “He’s very, very good at certain things and certain things are really new to him. He’s learning quickly and he’s a really good player. Good players just adjust and learn the new terminology, and he kind of handles it like a real veteran guy.”

Now the question is whether he’ll ever play for the Sooners. The 6-foot-6 Green-Beckham has two years of college eligibility left, but he could also enter next year’s NFL draft.